CEOs: How to Create a Corporate Message Video?
A corporate message is a fantastic way to inform people about what is going on at the top level of your business. Important announcements, like a change of management or company vision, need to be put across in a manner that will be easy to understand and reassuring for employees who might be worried about their job security.
Not only do corporate message videos stand out from the usual text-based email communications that most businesses spread around, but using video also personalizes the message that you’re trying to get across. There’s no way that you can sit down with every one of your employees face-to-face, but a video allows them to see you and to get a sense of your passion about the company.
Read on to see how you can use a video message to its best advantage for your next company-wide announcement!
Tip 1: Refine Your Message
Think of a few basic points that you want your employees to know and write them down in simple terms. If you don’t like the idea of memorizing a script, why not keep things authentic with a list of talking points? You could even use a teleprompter to get a balance of speaking off-the-cuff and remaining on-message.
The optimum length for one of these videos is just a few minutes, so you’ll want to get your ideas across quickly and in a way that’s easy to understand. If you need to address several different topics, consider creating a series of videos and sending them out one at a time. People are much more likely to play one video than a whole list.
Tip 2: Use Humor
You might be skeptical about this one. After all, you only have a short time to say what you need to say and making jokes could come across as unprofessional. However, humor is one of your most important tools to keep peoples’ eyes on the screen.
If you’re still unconvinced, look up the corporate messages that French company, Publicis Groupe, posts on YouTube every year. These videos each have a different gimmick, making them immensely watchable and the President, Maurice Lévy, lets his sense of humor come across in a way that will have you laughing out loud in the middle of your office.
Tip 3: Inject Your Own Personality
A video message needs to be engaging, so you’re going to want to put across some of your personality. An easy way to do this is filming the video in your office with a few personal touches around you.
Alternatively, choosing an outfit that reflects your personality is another way to stand out. Most CEOs will choose to dress smartly, but if you want to show employees a more laid back side, a more casual outfit or something related to your favorite pastimes can also work on video.
Tip 4: Manage Your Energy Levels
Energy is great. A CEO who speaks confidently and uses gestures to illustrate their speech is going to come across well, but there’s a fine line between energy and agitation when you’re watching a screen, so try not to move around too much, or fidget with your hands or clothes.
By smiling before you step out in front of the camera and taking a few deep breaths, you’ll find that the fear of being filmed soon evaporates. Most people relax more over the course of an interview or speech, so make sure that you do a few takes and choose the one that displays the right mixture of passion and gravity.
Tip 5: Invite Communication
Video allows you to speak directly to your employees, but they can’t reply to you. Or can they? Setting up a Call-To-Action at the end of your video allows you to give employees a link to a page where they can fill in a short survey about how well the video worked or what they thought of your message.
This allows you to gain some great, free feedback about the changes that your company is undergoing and about how well the video worked. If employees have any questions, they can easily send them in. As well as helping you to develop your strategy, this will let your staff know that they are valued and listened to, instantly improving their outlook on the company.
Remember these tips the next time you find yourself on camera. A new corporate message video could help you to get ahead of your competitors, increase employee satisfaction and even get your company featured in the news.
Hiring a professional film crew will help you to create the highest quality product possible, so look up your nearest video production company today. And if you’re based in the Melbourne area, visit our website at: Visual Production Agency to see some of the corporate videos that we’ve created. Alternatively,contact our friendly team at 03 9351 0002 to see what we could do for your business!
